Floodwater
by My Golden Wings
Summary: Antauri's paternal instincts get the best of him during a hurricane. Is Chiro okay, or is the situation as bad as Antauri fears? Three-shot.
1. Chapter 1

Hello! This is for the people who've fav'ed or followed me! I figured I ought to give you another story, so here it is!

* * *

The citizens of Shuggazoom could not remember being at the mercy of a more terrible storm. Was it an assault by the Skeleton King? Possibly, for the corrupted soul's fortress stood across the bridge, taller than any skyscraper, darker than the clouds above and the water in the deepest depths of the lake. But dealing with the enemy was the last item on everyone's list — at the top, surviving the hurricane. Great billowing black clouds consumed the sky, shrouding the grand city in darkness, sucking the life from the vibrant colors. Gales of wind blasted through the city streets, ripping roofs from their structures, light poles from the pavement, children from their families. Debris was carried off in the wind and hurled into inanimate objects and people alike, producing more damage, further arming the vicious winds like swords and battering rams. But what made the storm truly horrible was the floodwater filling the streets, urged on by the torrential rain, rapidly rising above doors and windows. The water rushed around in a frightening mess, pushing and pulling debris along in one massive deathtrap. Avoid one collision, you'll end up in the next one.

"Heave!" Antauri heard a human yell on the rooftop. He saw two men struggling to hoist a third by his arms back onto the crumbling platform that was quickly detaching from the building. Antauri would've helped, but as it were his mind was stretched between five civilians, who had been forced along down the raging manmade river. He focused on their energies, levitating them out of harms way and setting them on a nearby roof. He almost needn't have worried; Chiro had just arrived, soaked to the bone and flying by jet-pack up to the balcony, when the man finally slipped from the others' grasps, flailing desperately as he attempted to grab onto something, anything. One story. Another story. Chiro just barely managed to grab the man by a wrist. The two of them continued downward as Chiro strained to change direction. Wobbling violently in the fierce winds, the pair managed to fly back through the sliding door. Antauri let out a breath.

Relief slipped its way into his veins, but there was not a moment to waste, there was still work to do — the hurricane had come about in an instant, allowing no time for the people to seek shelter. Those on the ground were in particular danger, having been swept away in the flash flood. The mere thought sent shivers coursing down his spine — the team might not, and probably wouldn't, rescue everyone. Death was coming.

A shockwave flowed through his soul and not a second later a scream pierced the air. Antauri launched himself at the water, letting the Power Primate guide him. The water rushed, swirled crashed and thrashed below him. It was no match for Antauri, however, as his target came into view: a young girl, perhaps seven years old, who had just been dragged under the unrelenting waves. Stretching a hand out, he smacked into the river, nearly being pulled under as well, yet reemerging, tearing upward and ripping the girl away from the might of the current. He jet-packed higher and higher, then finally landed rather ungracefully on the roof of an office building.

"Are you all right? Are you injured?" he asked as he steadied the girl. She sputtered out water as she latched onto Antauri's wrists and leaned into his chest, harshly sucking in lungfuls of air between sobs. Sensing no immediate danger in the area, he permitted himself to comfort the girl. He easily wriggled a hand free and patted her on the back. But anything could happen at any moment, he reminded himself, best get moving.

"I'm going to take you someplace safe," he said in a strong voice, a voice he hoped brought comfort, "then I'll have to leave you. Understood?"

The girl nodded nodded shakily, but did not look up. Antauri felt slightly guilty as he could sense her reluctance of him leaving. He resigned himself to picking up her small form and zipping through the rain over to a door. Thrusting it open, he flew inside, grateful for the reprieve from the freezing wind and icy downpour. Even as a robot, the weather and task at hand were wearing him down.

There had to be people in there, as it was a weekday. He preferred to return the girl to her family, but the office workers would have to do. He couldn't imagine the panic families everywhere were experiencing, especially those who'd been separated during the storm. Zig-zagging through the building, he quickly came across a gathering of sophisticates hunkered down behind some cubicles. He landed before them and ordered, "Take care of this girl. Make sure she finds her family when all this is over."

A friendly-looking woman, whose hair was in a sagging wet bun, stretched her arms out and pulled the girl into a hug. Satisfied, Antauri spun around and whipped his way back though the halls, out the door and into the storm, the rain and hail wasting no time in striking him with all their power. Quite suddenly, the wind snatched him up and tossed him through the air, straight for another building. A spark of panic ignited in his chest, but he swiftly extinguished it as he focused on his own energy, finding himself back in control. Gradually, he slowed down and sprung the opposite way as if bouncing against an invisible cushion.

Unproductive thoughts continuously ate at his determination. He had lost a great deal of strength, and was finding it more and more difficult to reach out for the energies of other beings. Simply reaching out to others in his area had become an arduous task that left him gasping. They might not save everyone. His own teammates might be injured, or captured by the Skeleton King. Perhaps both. But he was trained to deal with thoughts like these, and so plucked the doubt from his mind like petals off a flower and tossed them away. There was a job to do, no time to dwell on what-ifs. The knowledge, however, remained — he might be just a little too late for some innocent bystanders.

Though a machine, Antauri could feel his face set in a hard frown and the rain running down his body. His eyes scanned the water and the buildings for signs of trouble while his mind reached out with the Power Primate for the people not within his line of sight. He jet-packed over to Chiro's last known location. A spike of worry jolted him when he did not see the boy, but only for a moment. Chiro was fine, he always was...

"Chiro," Antauri demanded over the communicator as he landed on a balcony. "Antauri to Chiro. Come in, Chiro."

The device crackled in his ear, but Chiro's voice did not follow. Antauri would've wondered if the storm had disrupted the signal, but he was a highly-advanced robot and could tune to whichever frequency he wished whilst tuning everything else out. Why wasn't Chiro answering? He felt a prickle of annoyance at the young leader.

"Chiro, come in," he called harshly. Nothing. He tried again. Crackling. Once more, though he was beginning to feel angry. "Chiro, now is not the time to be headstrong. If you can hear me, meet me at town hall at once!"

He gave up on the communicator. The beginnings of fear were stalking toward him, but he shunned the feeling. Fear gets you nowhere. Besides, Chiro was fine. The team had trained him to be.

Antauri glanced around the rooftop, the pools of water pushing at his feet and trying to drag him over the edge. He reached with the Power Primate, the only other way to contact the boy. Nothing. _That can't be right_ , he thought. He tried again. And again. Forcing every thought out of his head, he attempted a quick meditation, telling himself that he was just panicking too much to make a strong connection. Breath in. Breath out. Come on, quickly now. In. Out. He stretched forth his energy, searching for Chiro's, for an energy onto which he could latch his own.

 _Come on, Chiro, hear my voice, feel my soul_...

Nothing. There was nothing. He could feel person after person, but none felt like the boy he loved —

The wind picked up and lightening struck nearby. Breathing was too difficult, relaxing was impossible. He had to keep going, continue saving people. Chiro had to be okay, there was no other option. Treacherous thoughts filled his soul, but this time he could not remove the doubt that plagued him.

 _Chiro, where are you?_

* * *

A/N Posted July 30, 2015

So, I have several ways in which this fic could continue, and I want your opinion:

1) Chiro dies, the team finds his body (or maybe they don't! Muhahahaha!) (Three-shot)

2) Chiro is perfectly fine, he just got lost in the storm. (Three-shot)

3) Chiro is struck by lightening, which heightens his already electric-themed powers, making him almost god-like (Definitely a multi-chap fic, though I'm not sure how I'd go about it)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N _December 13, 2015_ One more chapter after this.

* * *

 _Maybe Chiro is simply too far away to hear my call?_

Antauri forced himself to go on with the mission, retrieving civilians from precarious and dangerous places and taking them somewhere safe. But as time had passed on, he had begun to ruminate more and more about why Chiro was not there — why he couldn't sense the boy's consciousness. When it seemed as though he'd rescued or relocated everyone in the vicinity, he scanned the area, which was a mess of crumbling buildings and trash filled waters. Seeing no one in danger, he put his hand to his communicator, adjusting its frequency, and contacted the team.

"Antauri to Hyper Force. Come in Hyper Force."

Though still crackling, the comm. unit emitted acknowledgments of all his teammates. All expect one.

"Yeah? Something the matter, Antauri? We're kinda busy!" Sparx hollered over the communicator. He grunted like he'd run into something. "We might need reinforcements!"

"I say we attack at the source!" Nova called, though Antauri could barely make out her voice. "We can't keep going like this forever. We need this storm to end!"

"If we leave to fight Skeleton King then we might lose the chance to save some civilians entirely!" Gibson argued.

"That's not why I called," bellowed Antauri, trying his best to be heard over the storm and his teammates. "Have any of you seen Chiro?"

The line went silent for a second. Everyone was likely either wondering if they had seen Chiro or were waiting for someone else to say so.

"I haven't seen 'im. Have any of you seen 'im?" said Otto.

"I know I haven't," came Nova's tentative response. "Sparx?"

"Not me. I've got too much to going on grabbing these civilians."

"Nor have I," stated Gibson. "He's supposed to be with you, Antauri. Why are you asking us?"

Antauri gulped back the sinking feeling in his stomach. He was far better than to let himself panic for no real reason, after all.

"I believe Chiro may have gone on an escapade of his own."

"You mean he went to stop the Bag of Bones?" suggested Sparx. "Although I would've liked to kick it to the scumbag myself, he should've brought us along with him."

"No, he shouldn't have," Gibson interjected. "The civilians —"

"Yeah, yeah —"

"Are any of you in need of my assistance?" asked Antauri, trying to fight the urge to — no, he wouldn't let himself think that he was losing control. If he even _thought_ he was losing control, then he surely _would_.

"We could use your help here!" Nova called. She was with Sparx, who grunted once more, this time accompanied by distant screams. He must have just plucked another civilian from danger.

"I'll be right over. Otto, Gibson, when you are able, meet us there."

With that, he cut off the comm. and focused on steadying himself against the wind, which threatened to toss him into the adjacent buildings. He weaved through the streets, helping anyone in need, and eventually made it to the seaside port ten minutes later.

It didn't take long to locate Sparx and Nova. Even without the Power Primate assisting his mind, he could see Nova's flaming body soaring from place to place, having finally gained control over her unusual powers. Chiro had jokingly suggested she join the Sun Riders, as she'd fit in quite well. Chiro...

"NOVA!" Antauri yelled, trying to get her attention. He watched as she dove into the water and pulled out a young boy who was clutching her abdomen tightly. It appeared there were far more people in trouble over here than by Sector B.

"Jump in at any time, Antauri!" Sparx barked from above. And Antauri did just that. They worked diligently and hurriedly, sometimes knocking a civilian against a building, sometimes setting them down with a great thud. Minor injuries were becoming acceptable. Of course they would be, though — the alternative was often death. But he didn't have to worry about Chiro. He'd be fine. Or so he told himself. He forgot to stop the niggling from taking hold this time.

Once the number of casualties stopped rising, Antauri caught his teammates' attention and called the other two by comm. He could feel it though — the panic of those yet to be saved. It echoed through the streets like ghostly wailing. Their job was not yet finished, but they were down one, and they needed to find him. He tried to slow his breathing.

The three of them settled under a hangar on the roof, pointedly trying to ignore the sense of doom and depression billowing up from the city. Everyone was drenched by the rain and shivering.

"Well, Antuari," said Gibson as he and Otto jet-packed down next to him, "we're all here."

"I still say he went after old bone bag," said Sparx.

"And if he did?" responded Nova. "He's been missing for easily an hour and the storm still hasn't let up. I'm sure it's actually _strengthened_. Chiro may need our help."

"If he does, then he's put a great deal of civilians in danger by pulling our attention away," said Gibson snappishly.

"Come on," said Nova. "He probably thought it was best for someone to stop this storm, rather than let it _continue_ to put people in danger."

"If that's true, then how come he didn't say what he was planning?" asked Sparx.

"Maybe he figured it was best that he do it alone, because at least one of us would insist on going with him?" said Gibson.

"I don't think so. He's smarter than that," said Nova.

"We have to take every possibility into account," countered Gibson. "Antauri, could you sense Chiro in your area while you were still over there?"

"No."

"What about around here?"

He felt sick as he answered, "No."

Nova burst.

"We need to go look for him!"

Gibson snatched Nova's arm.

"Not all of us!" Antauri could barely hear Gibson shouting himself hoarse, his voice being drowned out by the wind and rain.

" _What_? We need to find him! He could be hurt — or worse!" Nova argued, her voice full of fear. Antauri could feel it rising within her by the second.

"Listen to me, you fool! Not _all_ of us can go. There are citizens still in trouble. It is our duty to help them!"

"But we need to get Chiro before it's too late! We need to look for him!"

"We must allocate ourselves resourcefully and appropriately if everyone is to get out of this alive, and we cannot hold precedence for one of our own over the lives we protect!"

Their voices had risen with the wind, which was already hard enough to hear over. The meeting had turned into a shouting match.

"They'll be fine! We've already been all over the city. It's Chiro who needs us now!" wailed Nova.

"If Chiro fell off a building into the flood then it might already be too late! We need to help those who're still alive but at risk!"

"We can't leave Chiro to die!"

"I'm not saying we give up on him! I'm saying not all of us can go search for him!" Gibson shrieked.

Nova screamed and turned her back on the group. She kicked at an empty crate, launching it off the roof. Sparx tried to cut in and get Nova to "come to her senses," while Otto watched despairingly from the sidelines. It was clear to Antauri that Gibson was worried and struggling to keep himself levelheaded as he yelled at Nova over the pounding rain, "We can't waste our efforts on someone who might already be dead! It could cost someone else their life!" He turned to Antauri, eyeing the yellow monkey nervously, "You and Sparx ought to go look for him while the rest of us help the civilians."

"Agreed."

Nova swiftly collected herself and was marching back over to the group, a decidedly determined expression on her face. She must have overheard Gibson's suggestion.

"No, I'll go over there with Antauri."

"Nova," said Antauri, "we need you to help with the relief effort."

"No," she said more forcefully, looking him dead in the eye. "I will help you locate Chiro, and then the three of us will continue to rescue civilians. But I will not stand by while Chiro is- is _out there_. Lost."

The intensity in Nova's eyes told him that she was not going to back down. They were wasting precious time arguing. He'd have to speak with Nova about her insubordination later. Right now, they needed to hurry up.

"Fine," he conceded begrudgingly. "Nova, you and I will search for Chiro. The rest of you, continue as you were. And keep your communicators on."

A moment passed before anyone moved, uncomfortable with the situation. Tensions were running high, and they all wanted to help find Chiro — even Gibson, whose logic had won out over his feelings.

"GO! NOW!"

Sparx tugged on Otto's shoulder, and the two of them flew off toward Sector A, giving furtive glances back at their remaining teammates. Gibson sighed shakily, from both the rain and the anxiety Antauri knew the blue monkey was feeling, and took off for Sector C, which had the most human rescuers searching the waters and was therefore the safest place for a lone monkey. Antauri turned to Nova and looked her straight in the eye. The message needed to be clear; He wasn't messing around.

"Stay close."

Nova's eyes widened and she pointed confusedly over her shoulder.

"We can cover more ground if I go —"

"No. I want to make sure you don't disappear too." How could he forgive himself if he lost two teammates?

Nova didn't argue. She kept as close as she needed to, but no closer. Antauri could feel her forcing her panic down like bile and it wasn't helping Antuari keep his own nerves in check. They jet-packed from place to place, helping anyone who required rescue, and eventually made it near to Chiro's last known location. A small part of Antauri, a part of him he refused to acknowledge, was frustrated that at being slowed down by the civilians. Chiro had been missing for far too long…

Time ticked by and his search was growing more frantic by the minute. He couldn't find Chiro, the distress of the Shuggazoomians was nearly overpowering, and the distress within himself was eating him alive. He couldn't sense Chiro's status, or even his presence. Antauri was better than this, he had to be, but with time wearing on and no leads, not one sign of the boy, unspeakable possibilities filled his mind. Fear was closing in on him, making it hard to breath, making it hard to see what he was doing. His mechanical heart seemed intent on wearing itself down, beating far faster than he thought capable. His boy could be dead. His boy probably was de—

"Antauri."

His head shot up to lock eyes with Nova, who had a hand on his shoulder. Did she find Chiro? Hope soared in him. During all their searching, Nova hadn't said a word and she was as intent on finding Chiro as he was, so the only natural explanation was that she had found him. He needed to ask, but he couldn't get his mind to communicate properly with his mouth.

"Antauri, are- are you okay? You're mess."

"I'm...I'm fine."

Nova looked like she wanted to say, "No, you're obviously not fine," but he was glad she didn't voice it aloud.

"Did you find anything?" he asked. Nova's bottom lip quivered, and Antauri took a harsh breath as her mouth formed an answer that was carried off in the howling winds. It didn't matter, he knew the answer anyway.

He dropped his gaze to the rubble islands in the flood. The pain of the ice cold rain was nothing to the pain and fear in his heart. Gibson was right, if Chiro had fallen, then he surely would've drowned by now. His energy was running low, hopelessness was creeping back in. Demoralized, his gaze flitted over the debris. But what was the point in searching anym—

"There."

"What is it, Antauri?"

He couldn't answer. There was something orange near the water — in the wreckage of a building. It made his mechanical heart jump and scream in agony. But it couldn't be Chiro, could it? It couldn't be that Chiro had d— he couldn't let himself finish that sentence.

As he got closer he could see that, yes, it was the exact same orange that Chiro wore. Now that he was so close, he suddenly felt like he couldn't get closer. It felt like a magnet was pulling him closer, while the other end was pushing him away, telling him to stay back. But he pushed forward — he had to know for sure…he had to see with his own eyes —

It was cloth, it was orange and it was drenched in contaminated water. It was protruding from a heap of wood, bricks, and unidentifiable debris. He dropped a strained sort of pain in his chest as he drew nearer, like the thing in front of him was causing him pain. He fell to his knees and slowly reached forward. Carefully gripping the cloth, he tugged. It was stuck. He tugged harder and it came loose, ripping on a sharp metal edge.

He smoothed the fabric out on a lump of smooth concrete to see its full size and shape. He felt Nova land behind him, but this time she was too deep in her own turmoil to offer any comfort. He didn't know if the panic was hers or his anymore. All he knew for sure was that he'd found Chiro's scarf. The pair examined the cloth. Except for one small patch, the scarf was caked with dirt, water, soot and —

Antauri moaned.

" _No._ "

Nova shifted closer.

"Is-is that…blood?" Her voice was small. "Antauri…is it blood?"

He nodded, his eyes not moving from the scarf. It didn't seem real.

"We must dig," he managed to say, but he doubted Nova heard him over the wind. Everything went silent. His vision tunneled. He gripped the first piece of debris his hands came in contact with, then threw it over his shoulder, then snatched up the next piece. He couldn't tell if Nova was helping. He could barely remember if she was there at all. Reason had left him. Thoughts were jumbling up and creating horror stories in his head. His nightmares were reality.

He dug faster, but felt as if he were accomplishing nothing. A brick went flying, a pipe, wood boards and more bricks. After what felt like hours of digging, a large piece of concrete appeared to be the last obstacle. Antauri nearly paused, too afraid to move it. His heart hammered in his throat. Nova was saying something to him about his telekinesis, and before he realized what he was doing, the concrete was thrust up and out of into the raging floodwater.

A shock of black hair drenched with deathly red blood sloped over his lacerated face. The body, except for the head, was still buried in the rubble. Antauri could not tear his eyes away. A sick feeling swelled in his stomach. The agony overwhelmed him. He could no longer remain upright. He stumbled, and clutched his head as he dry-heaved. He slumped over and moaned in unbearable sorrow. He wished not to be trapped in a robotic body…not like this.


	3. Chapter 3

"I…I didn't want to lose him."

 _Zhum—_

 _Click—_

"An-Antauri…?"

 _Fzz. Ttt––_

 _Fzzrble. Click—_

"Antauri, what are you doing?"

The small clangs of rain hitting his metal body sounded as hollow and artificial as Antauri felt. He wanted to move, but the strength wouldn't come to him, like he was shutting down. Nova's voice floated insignificantly in his head. His hand remained clenched tightly around the orange scarf. Chiro's scarf.

 _Fzz. Rzz. Tt—_

"Antauri! Stop _— Stop now!"_

 _Zip—_

He'd specifically insisted Chiro be his partner in order to avoid this kind of nightmare, but it amounted to nothing. He'd failed. Chiro was gone. Nothing seemed right anymore—

"STOP! Antauri— listen to me. Please, _listen to me!_ "

Nova's screams were sounding distant in the rain. He trailed a hand over the scarf. Chiro was gone. His boy was gone. His boy—

"I didn't…I didn't want to lose him…" Antauri choked. "I didn't want to lose him—"

The pressure built in his heart until he suddenly felt nothing at all. His body was moving, yet he was just a spectator watching through the silver monkey's eyes.

Bright orange flames overtook his surroundings, encompassing him, growing closer and closer until the metal glowed bright red. With a jolt, his spider-like arms pushed off the ground and launched him through the raging fire and out into the rain, catching his new enemy off guard. Antauri whacked into the yellow monkey, hearing a low gasp as the air was knocked out of her, and together they fell hard onto a slab of concrete. One of his claws snatched her by the throat and slammed her against a building, a crack striking up the wall. Nova's eyes widened in shock, her hands flying up to his claw and trying desperately to pry him off.

"N-no!" she wheezed. "Don't…do this…Antauri…you…in there…?"

In a flash, her hand morphed into an enormous yellow fist and slammed into his gut. He jerked backward, but did not let go. Her fist came down hard the arm that was holding her. It remained unharmed. She hit one final time, her punch weaker now. He could feel her throat collapsing under the weight of his hand. Nova's satellite ear extended from her head.

"Team…need…reinf-…f-…"

Something was wrong, he just didn't know what. He knew what he was seeing. Nova's face, pale from lack of oxygen and wet from the rain. Her hands falling to her sides. Her eyes rolling to the back of her head. But that didn't matter. She'd attacked him, she was his enemy, and it was her fault Chiro was dead— no, that didn't make any sense. Nothing made any sense. And so he watched as the silver monkey—

A sickening force collided with his stomach and distantly heard the remnants of "Magnoball Blazer!" as something smacked into his head, and he landed harshly in the flood. He was momentarily disoriented by the hit and the water hurling around him, carrying streetlights, crates, food and cars and removing all traces of sound. Then he was out — the silver monkey standing on the debris island, emanating strength that Antauri did not feel.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" shouted Sparx, who was absolutely raging, grinding his teeth and assuming an offensive stance. Behind him, Nova was on her stomach, struggling to take in hoarse breaths.

"You want a fight? Take on me!" he continued, stepping threateningly toward him, maintaining his defensive position in front of Nova.

The silver monkey analyzed him. The attack had been magnetic, much more effective against his metal body than Nova's flames. He accessed his memory files, requiring more information on how to defeat this new foe. They had attacked him, so he would retaliate in kind.

"Sparx, don't provoke him!" yelled another voice.

The silver monkey looked around. His optical sensors honed in on Gibson, who tried to keep an intense, indomitable expression, though his shaking body gave away his true feelings. Antauri took a step toward him and the blue monkey's muscles tightened instantly.

"We need to reset him!" bellowed Gibson as he aimed his drills at the silver monkey.

"Formation E!" shouted Nova. All three Monkeys instantly jumped into the air and surrounded the silver monkey. They fired at once, but he was too quick and phased through the ground a second before their attacks collided and set off a midair explosion.

His vision filled with darkness. He knew where to go, though, and emerged just behind the blue monkey.

"Behind you!" yelled Nova, but she was too late — the silver monkey's claw slashed through Gibson's arms. Gibson cried out as his drills hit the ground. Sparx fired at Antauri, but instantly realized his mistake when he swung Gibson around and the magnetic ball hit him square in the chest. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious. The silver monkey didn't waste a second: he jumped straight at Nova, who poised to strike with her fists, then twisted suddenly the moment his feet touched the ground. He shot red sickles at Sparx, who had been prepared to defend Nova and not anticipated the attack to turn on him. One, two, three times he was stuck. A sharp _crunch_ echoed as he hit the ground.

"NO!" screamed Nova. Her fists spontaneously engulfed in flames as she swung at Antauri with her full strength. He didn't flinch, turning his body intangible and Nova's fists flew straight through him. She rolled over and landed back on her feet, hands raised. The silver monkey gave her no opening, seizing her wrists, ankles, and head in his claws. With his last claw he picked up one of Gibson's drills. It began to whirl and its buzzing filled the air. He pulled back his arm, then thrust it down toward her heart when something bright and hot crashed into him, launching him into a building, the concrete crumbling from the newly created hole. The silver monkey instantly sprung from the wall and straight toward the newcomer, latching his claws on his target, knocking him onto his back. He poised himself to attack, lifting a ghost claw in the air, ready to rip—

"Antauri — It's me! It's Chiro! You hear me?"

He felt like he was waking up from a coma. His hand twitched. His optic lenses refocused on the image before him. It was Chiro. He was right in front of him, soaked to the bone by the rain and holding out his hands as if to block Antauri. His mouth opened slowly like he had never spoken before.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

"What?" asked Chiro, looking utterly confused. Then his eyes widened like he had a realization. "No, Antauri, I'm right here. It's me. I'm alive. Put the drill down."

 _Chiro doesn't realize he's with the Power Primate now_ , thought Antauri.

"I should have been there —"

"You were exactly where you needed to be."

Antauri knew that wasn't true, because had he been where he was needed then Chiro would be alive. He looked back at the person sticking out of the debris. Chiro's eyes followed his line of sight.

"He's not me," said Chiro. Antauri did not move. "Just look at his face, Antauri. He's someone else."

The more Chiro spoke, the more Antauri's head began to clear. Slowly, hesitantly he used his telekinesis to lift the wet hair away from the person buried in rubble. The face he saw was not Chiro's, but an unidentified man's. He didn't even look like Chiro, apart from the black hair.

"He's not you…"

"That's right, he isn't me. I'm right here. I'm alive."

His eyes set back on Chiro. Though worse for wear, Chiro looked rather unharmed. He was drenched. His clothing clung to his body like fur on a wet cat. A jagged burn marred his left cheek with thin stream of blood trickling from the wound. He was looking sorrowfully at the civilian caught in the rubble.

"He-he had a head wound…" said Chiro, "I used my scarf. I didn't have anything else…I thought I'd left him somewhere safe…"

All sorts of emotions began to seep back into Antauri. The drill fell from his hand. He glanced up and saw Sparx and Gibson leaning on Nova and Otto as they stumbled closer. All of them seemed to be at various stages of relief and looking on with watery smiles. He noticed his extra claws sticking out and quickly folded them back into his body. Antauri fixed his gaze back on Chiro and felt like he could never look away again.

"You're alive."

He clutched Chiro around the shoulders and pulled him into a tight embrace. He would never let go. Never. He felt Chiro put his arms around him. The worry finally drained from his soul.

"Why couldn't I sense you?" said Antauri quietly.

"Antauri, I'm gonna just come out and say it," said Sparx, who had a knowing smile as Nova let go of him, "You had a total parental freak-out."

"Excuse me?"

"Man, you were so worried about Chiro, you weren't able to differentiate between Chiro's energy and every other human's. Or to keep their fear from feeding _your_ fear."

"You had us so worried, Chiro! Where were you?" said Nova. Chiro shifted onto his feet and Antauri reluctantly let go.

"Up on some building. See this," Chiro pointed to his communicator, which was burned black, "now don't freak out, but I kinda hit by some lightning—"

In an instant, Gibson leaped forward, lifting up an arm to check Chiro over when all eyes fell on the wires sticking out of it and then down to the ground where one of his drills lay.

"Oh dear…"

Otto jumped up and pointed in the air.

"I'll fix you up!"

"Oh no," protested Gibson as he held up his hand-less arms, "I-I am perfectly capable of doing it myself!"

Otto eagerly snatched up the blue drill. "C'mon, you'll be good as new!" he insisted. Gibson tumbled backward.

"Monkey Doodle!" he muttered, and the two monkeys were flying off before anyone could blink.

They laughed off the last remnants of their stress, but their job was not over yet, however well they were feeling. They still had a city to defend. Sparx and Nova took off for the west side, while Chiro and Antauri flew off to the east, the monkey keeping a much closer eye on his boy this time around.

As he took to the air, Antauri gave one last glance to the man buried in debris. At least one person wasn't going to make it home that day. Antauri knew exactly how his loved ones would feel. He could say he knew the feeling all too well. This was one reason why the Hyperforce was so important: to prevent such pain. Losing Chiro, even for just a moment, served as a cruel reminder of why they fight the Skeleton King. And Antauri would fight, as he had always fought, if not even harder.

Fin~

* * *

A/N Posted January 6, 2017

Thank you all so much for reading! I'm so sorry I took so long to update. I hope the ending was worth the wait!


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